Gayatri Yagna Report

We chanted now 10.000 times the Gayatri Mantra - all added together it was more than 1 million individual mantras!

The ceremonies started early Saturday morning with a Kalash Puja in which Swamiji invoked Gayatri Devi into the Kalash Pot.

Then - at about 8am the actual yagna started...

...and went on throughout the whole day and night - A few people went to take a short nap or grab a cup of tea in between for a break.

 On the following morning Swamiji performed the closing prayers and the Arati.

We had to clean the tent, wash the dishes and in no time the entrance hall of the centre was empty - everybody went straight to sleep!

24 hours Gayatri Yagna

The following weekend there will be, like every year, a Gayatri Yagna here at Shree Peetha Nilaya. 

The special feature this year is that we recite the mantra throughout the night, from sunrise to sunrise the next day. 

This is quite a feat of strength and energy happening here! Please come rested and give your system afterwards some time to reprocess and assimilate.

About Gayatri Swami Vishwananda said last year:

"In the kurma puran which describes the gayatri they don't mention how old is the gayatri becuase it is said that the gayatri exists when creation itself happended – when you look at the Srimad Bhagavatam when the Hiranyagarbham appreared and Narayan was lying lifeless and the hiranya mergerd in to Narayana and gave him life and when he open his eyes this is when Maya started -when all cosmic creation started – even before Bramha itself. Through the Vishnu maya through the Lords cosmic energy itself bramha was created. So when Bramha was created he was confused he didn't know who he was he didn't know where he was or what his task was...like many people they don't know who they are, what they are to do, where they are going...so like bramha he was confused, he looked down and saw he was sitting on the lotus and saw a long endless rope he didn't even see Narayana and he was wondering who should I appeal – that moment he heard inside of him the gayatri mantra but he didn't hear the whole mantra what he heard inside of him only – OM Bhur Buvah Svaha."

om bhoor bhuva suvah

tat savitur vareNyam

bhargo devasya dheemahi

dhiyo yo nah prachodayaat

We meditate upon the radiant Divine Light

of that adorable Sun of Spiritual Consciousness;

May it awaken our intuitional consciousness.

There is a little story about Parvati and Shiva which Swamiji told last year: 

"Once Shiva and Parvati were sitting and talking. There was a curioustiy in Parvati she always saw her lord meditating she always saw Shiva in deep tapas so she asked: "my dear lord, my dear swami, tell me on whom do you meditate? Who do you adore?"

At that moment Shiva answered: "Gayatri veda ma trusthi sadyam shakti mata bhuvihi jagat naam janani chaiva tamud pasase madahe"

He said „I am meditating on Gayatri the first cosmic form on earth and on this universe I am meditating on the mother of all,  the mother of creation the mother of this universe and into her my deep concentration is focussed and it is her that I am adoring.“

"So, here Shiva refers to her also as the Veda Mata. Which is she is the mother of veda." (S.V.)

Here the meaning of syllable as Swamiji explained it last year:

Om Bhur Buvah Swaha is the cosmic mantra of the creation itself since this is Gayatri herself. 

Tat – the first beech mantra – the first from the 24 syllables – reprsent Agni – fire – fire purifies and cleanses and also Tat represent Keshava – one name of Maha Vishnu /krishna
Sa – represent Vayu – wind /air – Narayana
Vi – Surya – the sun/Madhava
Tur – Vidhyu – the electric energy you see in the atmosphere there is electricity which is not the energy which travel around which you can not touch but acts on the etherical body – this is govinda.
Va represent Yama represent the lord of death – by chanting the gayatri mantra it remove the fear of death –  Vishnu
Re – is Varuna Lord of the water – madhusudhana
N – Brihaspati – is the guru of the devas, and in the form of Narayana is trivikrama
Yam – Prajanya – is the lord of rain – Vamana
Bha – is Indra is the lord of the demigods – Shreedhara
r / bhara/bharga (from Go) – is ghandarva – is the lord of Dancing(?) in rishikesh –
De - Pusha - the one which look after the welfare of all – Padmanabha
Va – Mitra Varunya – the friend of all, the one which is friendly to all -the real friend - Damodhara
Shya – Trusta- Vishwakarma – the great artist/architect -this one share the artistic quality from within -Shankarshana
Dhi -Vasu- one who abide everywhere.- Vasudev
Ma- Maruta - marutatavekam – is another name for Hanuman-(maruthi nandana) -wind god – maruthi-wind god, nandana-sun – maruthinanda- windgod and is Prajumna which stands for soma – the moon but also Soma stands for elixir of longevity it stands for medicinal healing -anniruthra
Hi- Angiras which means fire like agni but denotes light – Purushotama
Yo(ya) – Vishwadeva – is the one who give the world - Adhokshaja
Yo (ya) not yo yo but ya ya first yo is ya - vishwadeva and then the second ya is the Ashwini Kumar – who is twins – their duty – they are the great doctors it is narasimha
Nah – is Prajapati is the creator – achyuta
Pra – Sarva – omnipresent – Janardhana
Cho- is Rudra – Shiva but the different is Shiva is calm Rudra is wild, Rudra means the annhilation of everything -its Upendra
Da – is Bramha – the creator – Sri hari
Yat- is Vishnu – protector and is Krishna

Darshan in Monaco

It was a special evening in Monaco last night

The event hall itself was a challenge: it was a huge sports hall and really not very romantic. So firstly we had to rearrange the place to merit a Swami Vishwananda event!

But Marina, the organizer, did everything very well and there were walls erected, stringed with white fabric, a carpet was laid, garlands of flowers were hung up and oversized vases were placed at each side - and already it looked quite different.

When Swamiji came, there were about 200 guests. He sang a bhajan, invited all to sing along with him and then spoke about the mind - which distracts us again and again and yet does not make us happy in the end. Rather, it is far more blissful and beneficial to focus on the qualities of the heart.

Swamiji then guided us through a beautiful meditation in which he asked us all to close our eyes and bring all our focus to our hearts. Meanwhile, Swami sang beautiful verses in praise of Radha Krishna that brought so much happiness and love to us all!

Of course there was a little of the Monaco lifestyle present there ;-)

After Darshan, Swami Vishwananda took plenty of time to give interviews to devotees and spent a lot of time guiding and counselling people. After that, the hosts had prepared a lovely Indian meal which lasted until the early hours of the morning!

Swamijis summer satsang - what He said

And here is a summary of the questions and answers that Guruji gave:

The Divine Mother is somehow an abstract image for me. How can we make contact with the Divine Mother? Which practice, rituals or ceremonies help for that?
SV: If you want to make contact you have to know that the mother is always close to Her children. Bearing in mind that the mother is close, if you have faith, you call upon Her, she will be with you. If you want to please Her with ritual, there are many. But they are complicated. You need to learn properly. But if you can love Divine Mother like a child loves the mother it’s the most simple way. And she will be with you. You see, if you want to find God, you will only find Him in the most simple things. When you pray, when you sing, the Divine is next to you. It´s not in vain. When you pray to the Divine Mother She will come and when She wants you to have a vision of Her you will have a vision. But you have to prepare yourself. You have to prepare your mind. You have to control it. You need to have a clear aim, this gives it a certain direction. So if you concentrate you become more and more strong.
Why of all the paths did you choose the Hindu Vaishnava and the Russian Orthodox lineage?
SV: The mysticism in Vaishnava and in Orthodox is similar. I am born Hindu, like everybody else is born Hindu. In Hinduism you do not have to do special rituals when you are born whereas in all other religions you have to do a ritual to become that religion.

How can we develop humility that helps to awaken love within us?
(There were many answers from the audience)
SV: The cosmic love awake when you forget about yourself. So the Divine can take full possession of you. As long as you trust that you can do it by yourself, its good, you have to make your effort, but bear in mind, its Him who does it. Remember that God is everything. Then you can find Him everywhere.
Beloved Guruji, how to practically understand words from the Bible like “if someone beats you on one cheek, give him the other one, too”?
SV: Your duty is to love, not matter if the other person loves you or not. But if you give love, it does not matter if they slap you, gossip about you. You just love them, don´t be disturbed about what others give to you, but be concerned what you give to others. That is what this parable means.

Does bliss, ananda, nourish demons and gods?
SV: When you are in ananda, you rise above qualities. So, ananda is beyond good and non-good qualities. In the state of bliss neither good nor bad exists. Neither good nor non-good is nourished. You are transcending the good and the not-good qualities. Bliss is not a quality, it’s a state. 

Question continues: Does immortality mean liberation?
SV: No, the Devas are immortal but not liberated since they are bound by their dharma. Whereas when humans rise they realise the immortality of the soul and that makes one free. You are not bound by limitations of things, you are free in the Divine. The immortal ones sit and watch whereas the liberated ones they attain the Lord.
I would like to ask you about the Jehova witnesses. They believe that only Jehova is the best and everything else is taken from Satan. Please, tell me what is the truth.
SV: God laughs about this. He says: I am one with many form because each quality of me is a form. He is the same God with many qualities. If God would be limited He would not be god. God is in each heart? Which God is it? Hindu, Muslim, Christian…. The God of love. When all dissolves only love stays. When ignorance disappears from the mind, God reveals itself. It does not matter what people believe, as long as they believe but don’t criticise others. That will make you a better human being. Above religion you are a human, that’s very important. You have to have the respect of the humanity, towards the people. One has to open the windows of the mind than it becomes clear. If your parents don´t respect you it does not matter, you respect them, that is important.
Why did God create Maya?
SV: he created Maya so that He can enjoy His creation in everything. If He did not know how could He enjoy His creation?
Swamiji, can you please explain the experience of Déjà vu?
SV: It´s not a dreaming state. When you sleep your consciousness travels and it photos images. But when the fact happens when you are in normal life, you remember that you have seen it. The mind is like a recorder, everything gets recorded in the mind. Even an imprint you left in a place you can recall it in another life. The mind is the storage of the thoughts and it will make it happen. For that you have to be watchful of every thought in the mind. That’s déjà vu, an imprint. Consciousness is not limited, there is not wall to stop it.
Is it possible that the golden age does not take place on this planet earth, but in a different world?
SV: No, it will take place here. A yogi rotates in sat yug, they perceive the Divine everywhere. A material person will be in kali yuga cause they are so afraid of destruction. You have to make golden age happen now for you. Cause if you wait for golden age even your bones will not be here.
How to develop complete obedience and 100%surrender to the Satguru?
SV: To reach that state you have to remove your own will. People always talk about surrender, it´s just talk. If you want to surrender, just try it.
You teach us Indian mantras, bhajans, rituals, aspects of God. I noticed that a lot of people around you wear Indian cloths. Do we – in western countries – have to live an ´Indian life` to realize God? What is your advice?
SV: It is a certain respect towards the aim. It´s not about Indian cloths, it´s about being well dressed. But it will help on the way. There is a dress code for every occasion: church, beach.
How can we help an old person to prepare for dying (she is talking about), if that person does not follow any religion but believes in something absolute? 
SV: You have to tell them: yes you will die. If you don´t accept that you die you will suffer even afterwards. But if you accept it it can open doors. You have to make the person not afraid of dying by talking of the immortality of the soul.

Who will end the weapon race between nations?
SV: He will end it when there is understanding.

Summer Satsang with Swami Vishwananda

Last night we had a wonderful Satsang!

After several ".... Narayena, Narayena, jai Govinda Hare", it finally happened: Swami Vishwananda came and the evening began with the Bhajan "Hare Ram - Hare Krishna" which Swamiji sang while he looked through the written questions which the visitors gave before.

He answered the questions sometimes with humor, sometimes with a short "no" or "yes", but still you could feel the depth from which he derived-

Particularly exciting was when he spoke about the different lokas: the Vishnu Loka (Vaikuntha) on which is Vishvaksena the guard. He takes care of the order there. He is the general of the army of Vishnu, and he is the one who allowes the souls to enter there or not - so to speak Swamiji talked about these worlds where we are not aware of.

We realized that he knows this places very well.

Our Peacocks

In the beginning of May one of our peacock Ladies was breeding. Two days before Bhu Devi 4 happy, healthy little chicks came out.

We pampered them somehow - fed them with berries (blackberries were their favourites), cupcakes  and salad.

The peahenn guided her 4 chicks wonderfully - teaching them a lot and it was a great joy to watch them all together. 

Within 3 weeks they where able to fly on a tree to sleep there at a safe height, of course always covered by the mum's wings.

One day Swamiji asked us to catch one of the chicks to pet it. Swami Paranthapa was the fastest and got a little one - it was so sweet to see how Swamiji gave so much love to this little creature - a very special moment. 

Now comes the sad part of the story: 

Beginning of July, the chicks where about 6 weeks old, and during the night while they where all together in the tree, there must have been an animal like a pine marten or an owl.

The fact is that the next morning only the peahenn was still alive walking around confused, calling for her chicks - but they where not seen any more. 


Yes, it's very sad - tried to not be too attached - but it hurt a lot!     (Drishti)

Sri Swami Vishwananda on the BBC

Last night on BBC Two at 9pm (UK Time) aired a documentary on this year's Maha Kumbh Mela profiling the journeys of a few British pilgrims including our very own Roshan. The documentary also features Bhakti Marga and shows many beautiful scenes from the bath and interviews with Guruji Himself. It is a beautiful production by the BBC and we thank them for giving us all memories of what was a trip of a lifetime for Swamiji and us all!

Here is the documentary in its entirety:

Swami Vishwananda visits Schweibenalb

Last weekend Swami Vishwananda went on a private trip to Switzerland and during the trip he was able to accept an invitation from Sadhu Maharaj to meet him on Schweibenalb, a beautiful and picturesque location. 

The two greeted each other with open arms and connected immediately. As Vaishnava brothers, they had lively exchanges on the topic of Bhakti and Love for quite some time!

Sadhu Maharaj showed some pictures from his Ashram in Vrindavan and invited him heartfully to visit him there. Of course, Swamiji returned the gesture and invited Sadhuji to come visit us in Shree Peetha Nilaya any time he wishes to!

Some devotees asked questions and there was a small Satsang and exchange of ideas and experiences from all present.

Swamiji was given a tour to the multi-religion Temple of Schweibenalb where Sadhu Maharaj had some questions about the Jewish religion and the Torah which Swami Vishwananda was more than happy to answer.

There are many beautiful memories associated with Schweibenalb - Shivaratri in 2000 (in the beautiful Dhuni), Swamiji's birthday party and many other occasions had taken place there many years ago when Swamiji was first travelling to Europe. It was in fact the first centre which he visited in Europe. 

Unfortunately, it did not fit to our schedules for Sadhu Maharaj to visit us here in Springen but both were sure that next year that won't be the case!

Gurupurnima 2013: Offering our heart to the Guru (part 2)

Excerpt of Gurupurnima Speech, part 2 (complete talk will be made available soon on CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon):

Sri Swami Vishwananda:
“If you have not attained the goal of life, don't think that the Guru is not with you. You know, sometimes we can do many things, “oh my goodness, I am doing everything, but yet, nothing works the way I want.” Know that, nothing works the way “I” want. The “I” is there, very big, the pride is there. That's the ignorance which the Guru removes and installs humility. What brought you on your path is not coincidence. It's long-term planning. Even before you were born, the plan was there. The plan was there, that today you are sitting here. Whether you would have want it or not, you are at the right place [big applause by the guests]. Like that, it's also for all the spiritual masters, spiritual teachers and their disciples, they are where they have to be. Because there is no coincidence of who you meet.

How do you feel when you meet someone? You know it. People every day come and say to me: “Swamiji, I have the feeling I know you. We have met somewhere.” There is this bhajan we always sing: (singing) meaning: “My heart has the feeling that we have met somewhere.” But of course, the mind doesn't remember. The disk is a bit scratched at that point. This is where the heart reveals itself, where the Guru looks wherever the disciple is. The Guru would go there and get the disciple. That's the work of a good shepherd, to prearrange everything. So when one finds one’s way, one should surrender to the feeling of one's heart and offer that heart to the Lotus feet of the Master. Like that, whatever you do, the Grace and blessing of the master will always be with you.”

Gurupurnima 2013: Offering our heart to the Guru (part 1)

Every Gurupurnima celebration is special, and yet, this year's was even more special. All those of you who managed to come (estimated over 700 guests) could feel an extraordinary joy and Guruji was more radiating than ever.

Find a selection of pictures on Facebook, by clicking on the following link here.

Guruji also gave a particularly inspiring talk about the most important thing that we can offer Him: It is the offering of our heart.

Find an excerpt of the talk he gave below (part 1):

"All the Swamis have talked already. Now, what can be offered?...

The offering of one's heart, that is the most important. And this is – like I said in the morning- the choice. When people come and ask me: Are you my Guru? What do I answer? If you feel it. If you feel it that I am your Guru, I shall be. And when that happens it's for life.

Whether you stay or you leave. Your heart can't lie to you. This is one thing which is very important. When one surrenders, it doesn't mean that you should not live your life the way you live. Very often people are scared of this word "surrender". No, surrender means, that you remember the Master, you remember the Guru everyday. You have this gratitude, that it is through the blessing and the Grace of the master, that whatever you do and achieve in life, wherever you are stepping, the master is together with you. You are not alone. And you will never be alone.

Whether you feel the master or not, this is the duty. In the morning I said, the Guru is even more than a mother and a father. Because the mothers have a certain limit, in the way they see their children. They are bound by emotion. The fathers do their duty in bringing up the child. What else can they do? Not much. They can bring up their children in a very rightful way, in a very nice way. But yet, the child has its own destiny.

How many mothers come to me and tell me, oh my son, my childern don't listen to me, my children don't love me. Well, that is the difference. Even if the mother is the first, the Guru one should have full resepct to the mother, one shluld have full resp to the faterh, Bec. They hage done their duty. But when one has found one’s Satguru, it is for life. What one can do at that moment is trust that one is not alone. But the Satguru, the Greatest of all the Sadhu Sant is with you. And this is what we are honoring today, not only here, in the whole Hindu tradition. The Guru Parampara is very important. Not only in the Hindu tradition, in the Christian tradition also, it is very important to have a spiritual father. Why? We say always to trust oneself, no? But there is not fully the trust there. You can’t really count on your mind. Your mind can disguise itself so nicely and trap you. That’s the power of Maya. The mind will always flatter you. The mind will never tell you, you are wrong. 

No one – when they do something – will say “I’ve done something wrong, no, because one is convinced one has done something right. But when do you something right, the reason is also right, you don’t feel this guilt feeling. Even if you have a guilt feeling, you try to brush it by the side, but this is the role of the Satguru, this is the role of the spiritual teacher, to remove this ignorance from the mind, so that you can journey towards God Consciousness, or enlightenment. That you can reach him, this is the sole aim - that you attain the goal of life.

Prayer to prepare yourself for Gurupurnuma

This morning we had the idea that it would be nice for us and for you all to recite every day a special prayer in which Sri Adi Shankarakaria is telling about the importance of the Guru ant attaching our mind to his Lotusfeet:

Guru Ashtakam

SHAREERAM SUROOPAM THATHA VAA KALATRAM

YASASCHARU CHITRAM DHANAM MERU TULYAM

MANASCHE NA LAGNAM GURO RANGHRI PADME

TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM

Body is handsome, wife is attractive, fame spread far and wide, wealth enormous and stable like Mount Meru; but of what consequence are all these, if the mind is not riveted in devotion to the lotus feet of the Guru? Really of what use is all this, what use, what use?

KALATRAM DHANAM PUTRA POUTRAADI SARVAM

GRUHAM BHAANDAVAA SARVA METTADHI JAATAM

MANASCHE NA LAGNAM GURO RANGHRI PADME

TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM

Wife, wealth, son, grandson, and the like, house, relations, even if all these are there fate is certain, of what consequence is one’s life if his mind is not devoted to the feet of Guru? Ascertain, what use is any possession, person or object? Of what use, of what use, of what use indeed?

SHADANGAADHI VEDO MUKHE SHASTRA VIDHYAA

KAVITVA AADHI GADHYAM, SUPADHYAM KAROTI

MANASCHE NA LAGNAM GURO RANGHRI PADME

TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM

All the Vedas are mastered and ever present on the lips; likewise, knowledge of all the sciences is well gained. The ability to write prose or verse is also present. Even then, of what ultimate benefit is all this, if one’s mind does not devoutly rest on the feet of Guru? By whose grace along can one’s soul be liberated? Of what use, of what use, of what use indeed?

VIDHESESHU MAANYAHA, SWADHESESHU DHANYAHA

SADHAACHAARA VRUTTESHU MATTO NA CHA ANYAHA

MANASCHE NA LAGNAM GURO RANGHRI PADME

TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM

I am honoured well even in far off places, held in high esteem in my own locality; in good conduct and noble deeds there is no one to excel me. If one has occasion to think like this, of what avail is it if the mind is not steeped in devotion and humility towards the feet of the Guru from whom alone can flow wisdom and immortality?

KSHAMAA MANDALE BHUPA BHUPAALA BRINDIHI

SADA SEVITAM YASYA PAADAARAVINDAM

MANASCHE NA LAGNAM GURO RANGHRI PADME

TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM

Your feet may be worshipped constantly even by the great kings and emperors of the world for reason of your greatness and scholarship; but of what real consequence is that if the mind is not graced by the blessing of unflinching devotion to the Guru, by whose loving touch alone can redemption and peace be realised?

YASHO ME GATTAM DHIKSHU DHAANA PRATAAPAATH

JAGADVASTU SARVAM KARE YATPRASAADAATH

MANASCHE NA LAGNAM GURO RANGHRI PADME

TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM

Of what avail if one has enough merits to think my fame has already spread in several places due to my unique generosity and a result, all things of the world stand within my easy reach? For, the virtue and quality that count ultimately is only one’s unflinching loyalty and devotion towards the Guru whose blessings are the ultimate factor for realisation of Truth by a devoted seeker.

NA BHOGE, NA YOGHE, NA VAA VAAJIRAAJAA,

NA KAANTAA MUKHE NAIVA VITTESHU CHITTAM

MANASCHE NA LAGNAM GURO RANGHRI PADME

TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM

The mind may have turned away from external delights through dispassion and from attainments like Yogic concentration, possessions like horses and the like, the enchanting face of the beloved, in short, the entire wealth of the earth; yet it will be of no real merit if the mind is not absorbed in piety and devotion to the feet of Guru. Bereft of this devotion, of what benefit is anything, of what benefit, of what benefit?

ARANYE NA VAA SVASYA GEHE NA KAARYE

NA DEHE MANO VARTATE ME TVANARGYE

MANASCHE NA LAGNAM GURO RANGHRI PADME

TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM

The mind may have lost its charm to live in forests, and likewise in the house; may have lost all desire to achieve whatever; even the concern for the body’s welfare may have been outlived; the most invaluable treasure of the world may not hold any allurement. Even then, of what avail are all these if the supreme devotion to the Guru is not held by the aspirant? Determine, of what use? of what use?

Phalasruti (Result of reading):

GURORASHTAKAM YAH PATETU PUNYADEHEE

YATIR BHUPATIR BHRAHMACHAARI CHA GEHI

LABHED VAANCITAARTHAM PADAM BRAHMA SANJNAM

MANASCHE NA LAGNAM GURO RANGHRI PADME

Whoever reads, studies and recites this Ashtaka on Guru and remains devoted and attentive to the sayings of the Guru, he, no matter if he is a holy person, ascetic, king, neophyte, or householder, attains his coveted object, namely the supreme abode of Brahman, the unassailable seat of immortality.

Sorry...!

For some time now, we have been working together with a software company on a new program to simplify the online registration for guest rooms and events. 

After the contractor had completed everything and we switched the program online it became visible, that many inconsistencies have been contained in it. Because of that some mistakes in registration came about during the past few weeks.

During the past days the company has revised the program an now it functions impeccably. Further optimisations are on the way. 

Our registration team apologizes for all the phone calls and the possible inconveniences you have had.

Much love and many thanks

Ratnamanjari, Vanamali and Ambika 

(Registration team)

Satsang in Israel with Sri Swami Vishwananda on July 3rd, 2013

During our pilgrimage to Israel we visited the place of Eliyahu and Leehee Holly in Jerusalem (www.jerusalemhug.org)

They invited Sri Swami Vishwananda to hold a Satsang there. Late afternoon, on Tuesday the 3^rd of July, our group boarded the bus and off we went to the outskirts of Jerusalem and after half an hour we reached their place, a very nice spacious house with a lovely garden. We were warmly greeted and soon set up the place for our beloved Guruji to hold the Satsang.

The most amazing fact is that Eliyahu is bound to a wheelchair, he cannot move at all by himself. His peace-movement is well known in Israel and he is a very wonderful person with glowing eyes and a very bright mood. He was so happy to have us and that Gurudev came and was very, very open for whatever happened in spite of the fact that he did not have much of an idea who our Master really is. His house is decorated with pictures of various Saints and Masters, also a picture of Babaji could be seen.We at once felt comfortable there. After a while a lot of people whom he had invited came.

So we were about 40 people of our group and about 30 Guests. Some of them spoke Russian, so they could communicate well with the Russian members of our group.

Some people wrote down questions and when Eliyahu’s wheelchair was put in a spot where he had a good view of Swami, the Satsang started. 

Gurudev started of course by singing Bhajans and everyone enjoyed it very much and our host was most touched. Gurudev made some women guests sing and so we all chanted some Israeli songs.

When Gurudev started to speak, of course he stated, while answering the questions, that love is the most important goal and the aim of our soul.

Some asked what Atma Kriya is about and Swami Sharada and Anantaananda gave a short summary of it.

Very interesting was that Gurudev said, “Everyone knows the King – does the King know you? The King resides in the forbidden zone.

He resides there only with his dear ones. So we should strive to make ourselves known to the King. This is where devotion arises. And we can approach the Queen – she is always very important as the King cannot refuse the Queen :) and everybody smiled and nodded.

Other questions were: What is the purpose of life? Answer: To love, nothing else.

What is the next step to enlightenment? When unconditional love arises. Your Sadhana, your Kriya brings you closer. For a Bhakta enlightenment is not the most important, to attain HIM is the most precious!

After a few more questions, Gurudev led us into a short meditation, where we spread our love to our neighbours, city and country and to the whole world. It was very, very lovely. Gurudev received some people who were very happy to be able to talk to him.

Our host Eliyahu, his wife and children also got a blessing and were able to talk in private with him. They are a really amazing couple.

Eliyahu is overall positive and all the guests really appreciated his invitation. Leehee is supportive and at the end of our stay we helped her quickly to clean up the place after Gurudev asked us: Shall we leave the place like that? 

Imagine 80 hands helped – it was very fast.

One thing to be mentioned and very important: Many of our group had brought a little present for the family – some small things from their country, maybe sweets or incense or little figures (e.g. from Latvia).

And we collected some donations to be given to Eliayahu for his peace work. He gladly accepted the gifts and imagine! - gave the donations back to Gurudev to help him to let Springen and our organization grow.

This was also something very special.

The love that Eliyahu is radiating goes deep and he was so happy and touched about Swami’s visit, the Satsang and his Interview. For sure he got a glimpse of who he really is! We hope to come back to this place and surely will stay in touch with this amazing man and his wife. Thank you Eliyahu and Leehee for hosting us!

We all went back, once more grateful to our Guru for giving us another wonderful opportunity in experiencing love. And this in the once and again war-stricken land of Israel – for sure a sign of good hope!

Anuprabha

11.07.2013